Macbook Pro 15" v Macbook Pro 13" + Iphone 4

Should I go for Macbook Pro 15", currently about £1300 on Amazon or get the 13", £885 plus Iphone 4, about £480.

I'm new to the Mac world and although I'm opting for Mac for enhanced audio recording possibilities I don't know to what extent I really need the 15"/i3. I've got an old phone now as well so maybe I could do both if I'm willing to sacrifice on laptop.

I'm quite snobby for some reason (e.g if I was to start playing squash, which I've never done, I would find it impossible to buy just an average racquet) and so I don't know if I would be able to accept second best in terms of laptop.

What do you think?

P.S I would be getting iphone 4 handset only because I don't want a contract for the reason that I might be living abroad soon.

It really depends on what you're going to use the laptop for - but I'm sure you've heard that before.

I can say this though:

I run the IT department for a company with ~3000 employees globally. I could have my pick of any laptop I want, and I am using the 2010 15" MBP. It is without a doubt, the finest laptop I've ever owned.

I would have done the 13" if they would have gone to the i5 processor, but I really need/want the extra cores since I do a lot of virtualization on my laptop.

If you're just surfing the internet, checking email, etc. then the 13" may be appropriate for you though. But that 15" machine is really, really nice.

The most demanding thing I expect to be running on it would be Logic and various other pieces of audio recording software, nothing too intensive graphics wise. And even then it would be personal projects as opposed to starting a career out of it. I don't really do any gaming or animation stuff.

Yeah my friend has a 2007 MBP and I'm even still impressed by it and see the 15" model as the perfect one for everyday use, like you say.

i have the regular macbook, and the macbook pro 17. Honestly the difference in size in minimal. Until you open the screen, the extra screen space is awesome.
I carry the 17" in the same bag designed for the 13" macbook. Whoever says the 15" or 17" isn't portable, honestly never owned one.

Did you know there's an app for the iPad that will let you use it to extend your MBP desktop?
If you place the iPad right next to the MBP 13, the new diagonal is something like 17 inches.
But with a black stripe between the two sections of course

Either way you go on the laptop front, I can't stress enough how much of a difference a nice SSD makes in a laptop. I swapped out my optical drive for a 640GB 5,400 RPM "storage" drive and went with an Intel X25-M G2 160GB SSD for the OS and Apps. That upgrade alone made the laptop SO much better.

The iPhone isn't a computer and it won't do anything that you want in terms of what computers do anyway. That said you should really should consider just getting the 15" Mac; you did say you would be live abroad soon, so why don't you just wait until you moved to get an iPhone on contract?

Should I go for Macbook Pro 15", currently about £1300 on Amazon or get the 13", £885 plus Iphone 4, about £480.

I'm quite snobby for some reason (e.g if I was to start playing squash, which I've never done, I would find it impossible to buy just an average racquet) and so I don't know if I would be able to accept second best in terms of laptop.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.